live and in hd, this is abc 7 "news at noon," on your side. >> our top story, a strike at washington's biggest hospital. hundreds of nurses and union members are making their voices heard. pamela brown is live outside washington hospital center with

the latest. >> there's a lot going on today. the hospital says two thirds of the staff expected to show up for today did show up. behind me there's a growing group of nurses on strike outside of the hospital. they say it comes down to patient care and the need for more resources. but the hospital says it is just trying to adapt to changing industry. hundreds of nurses at washington hospital center went off the job and onto the picket line at 7:00 this morning. the crowd marched from first and irving streets making their voices heard. many protesters were allowed to stay, while the rest were told to leave. >> we are here is a registered nurses trying to get paid and have benefits like everyone else. >> the 24-hour strike is a last resort after a year of contentious contract negotiations.

>> this is our last alternative. we need to understand that we support the patients. >> the main sticking point is hard to pay, extra money given to owners is based on their wages when they work weekends or overnight. it is a job mostly filled by experienced workers because of the extra earnings. now the hospital wants to give all nurses working that shift a flat rate. >> that is an industry standard, the flat rate. that is what all hospitals do. >> business is still considered a new nurse. she feels overwhelmed with too many patients. she worries that the situation will get worse as experienced nurses leave. >> i cannot get to every patient that i want to. at the end of the day i still i have not done my job well enough. >> the hospital is fully staffed today and has blown in temporary nurses from across the country.

it will have to pay those temporary nurses at least 50 hours. honors is behind me on strike will not get paid and will not be able to go back to work until next wednesday. pamela brown reporting from washington hospital center. >> none of the services at a hospital today are affected by this strike? >> that is correct. it is business as usual at the hospital today because of the temporary workers that were flown in to cover this. it appears the push to legalize gay marriage is back on track in maryland. wtop radio reports caused judiciary committee will vote on the bill sometime tonight. the vote was delayed for days after they scrambled to try to round up enough votes for passage. supporters need 12 yes votes to send a bill to the house floor. the senate approved last week. an elderly woman in critical condition after an apartment

fire in the district. before 8:00 last night the flames broke out on the third floor of a building on g st. southeast near 13th street. firefighters rescued many residents trapped inside the burning building, bringing them down the truck ladder. three women suffered smoke inhalation including a 79-year- old victim in critical condition. 40 other residents have lost their homes. another cold march day, looking for changes on the weekend. adam caskey has the forecast. a split decision this weekend. that's a good way to put it. 50 percent not so good. soggy on half of the weekend. yesterday we reached 41. today we are above that already, 44 in the district, 43 in gaithersburg, 40 in hagerstown. annapolis at 38 degrees. the high temperatures today

around 50 with a fair amount of sunshine, increasing clouds tonight in advance of the storm system that coming together in the midsection of the country. rain already in the ohio valley. back to you. >> thank you. the next season of football is in limbo. right now it looks like the players and the owners are ready to punt, nearing a lockout as they try to hammer of a new collective bargaining agreement in the nation's capital. ben eisler has been watching all of this. >> the owners and the players have no plans to meet face-to- face today. don't count on a lockout just yet. >> it would be a loss for the country to have that entertainment that really brings a lot of people together. >> several key issues still divide the two. how to split the $9 billion in revenue every year. also, the rookie wage scale, retirement benefits, and a proposal to add two extra games

to the regular season on the table. >> we love football. two games extra is pretty good. >> last night, hundreds of journalists and fans surrounded the federal mediation build ing. the commissioner tried to slip out the back door. while the differences caused frustration -- >> we have so much unemployment. you play football. try getting a real job. >> a lockout remains far away. players have reportedly agreed to extend the bargaining by an additional seven to 10 days. today the federal mediator will try to get the owners to do the same. >> i would have nothing to cheer about. >> even if the owners do not agree to extend the bargaining another week, the games will not be affected until the fall. ben eisler, abc 7. a controversy on capitol

hill over how to honor the last veteran of the first world war. frank buckle's lived near charlestown, west virginia, died sunday, he was 110. west virginia senator rockefeller introduce a resolution to allow him to lie inside the capitol rotunda, but house speaker john boehner instead wants the ceremony at arlington national cemetery. the bodies of prominent u.s. citizens like rosa parks have been displayed in the capitol rotunda. his funeral is scheduled march 15. a virginia teenage girl attacked a teacher in the classroom. a 17-year-old high school students punched the teacher several times in the face tuesday afternoon. criminal charges are pending against the student. the school district says the girl also faces long-term suspension or even expulsion. metro passengers will brace for more sat down sand delays this weekend. the agency is getting to work on

the orange, blue, and red lines. mike conneen joins us from new carrollton with what it means for passengers. >> it is complying with recommendations for the ntsb. passengers will use free shuttle buses available this weekend. metro is telling them to add an extra 40 minutes to their weekend commute. >> i don't have a car. >> it is another weekend, another round of metro track maintenance. >> i will have to pick up my >> 10:00 p.m. tonight through sunday night, the orange line is closed from stadium-armory to new carrollton. on the blue line from stadium- armory to bening row. the orange line will be affected most with five stations shutdown. minnesota avenue, cheverly, landover, new carrollton, deanwood. >> we will find another option. >> they will at the table to improve cell phone coverage, and replace thousands of feet

of track, and other work. >> safety is always first. >> there are signs for customers and free shuttle service will be available. some passengers say it's not enough. >> i don't think they notified people well enough. the only reason i know is because i saw a sign walking into the station. >> the agency scheduled to work on weekends to impact less passengers. for those riding on the weekend, the impact is significant. >> the only way for people to get around who don't have cars. there's nothing we can do. >> also on the red line this weekend they will be single- tracking between friendship heights and medical center and between the, and forest glen. a normal service resumes sometimes monday. mike conneen, abc 7 news

reporting. a glimmer of hope for the u.s. economy. companies added 192,000 jobs last month. the unemployment rate dipped down to 8.9%, the lowest in nearly two years. consumer confidence is now at its highest level in a three years. analysts say that companies are hiring, but they need to hire faster to have a strong recovery. libya today, president obama is raising the pressure on libya's leader to step down. today the president says moammar gaddafi has lost its legitimacy and thus leave. but his government has intensified a bloody crackdown on rebel fighters, new reports of air strikes on anti- government forces. >> this is my job. >> the u.s. is sending some relief for the people that have escaped the fighting in libya. secretary of state clinton says

two cargo planes pull a blanket, water, and other relief supplies are on the way to help the refugees who fled to tunisia. the u.s. government as proof that the retired fbi agent who disappeared during a trip to iran four years ago is still alive. the state department said robert levinson is being held somewhere in south west asia. officials don't know where or who is holding him. the u.s. is asking iran for help in finding out where he is. coming up, the deadline and the showdown, thousands of public workers, will they be out of a job in wisconsin? then, the latest twist in the story over john edwards' affair and his love child. >> and charlie sheen coming soon to a school near you. look for him to be a local graduation speaker. first, adam caskey has what is

ahead for the weekend. how much

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i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- thousands of state workers in wisconsin are bracing for a pink slips. last night protesters finally left the capitol building after 17 days camping inside. governor scott walker will order 1500 layoffs today unless at least one of the 14 missing senate democrats returns to give the senate what it needs to pass the new state budget. the democrat's lead to an illinois more than two weeks ago. police tackled one democratic representative who was trying to get into the building and it was later called a misunderstanding.

former presidential candidate john edwards is waiting to hear whether he will face criminal charges in the federal investigation. and a powerful washington lawyer has revealed that he has now joined edwards' legal team, greg craig signed on to help him. just as the province is investigating whether edwards' new that campaign donations were used to keep his mistress and their baby in hiding while he ran for president in 2008. his lawyer says his client did not break any campaign finance laws. higher oil prices means the price to fly is rising. jet fuel costs more than a $3 a gallon right now. yesterday most major u.s. airlines increased their fares by $10 per round trip. so far, none of the low-priced airlines including southwest, daedalus, and air trans have raised their prices. -- southwest, the jetblue, and

air trans. when i look at that i wished that i am on a flight to hawaii. >> you want to get somewhere. this weekend it's going to be wet, but we need the moisture. >> we do. >> in the springtime it's good to get in a wet weather pattern to catch up and then get ahead of the game for summer. it usually gets dry in the summer. we are just planning ahead, being responsible. here's a good time lapse from arlington. this is a new camera. i think the newest one is on the roof of washington be high school, home of the general. there's the sun rise in the lower right-hand corner from this morning. still some high, thin clouds moving through.

clouds increasing this evening and tonight. there's a weather maker moving into town. it's 44 in the district. the wind is out of the southwest at 5-10 miles an hour. but it's getting a little gusty out there. you will notice the wind pick up periodically. there are gusts of 20 miles an hour out of the south. the warmer wind today. that is the good news. it's a point to be warmer all around and near average for the high temperatures near 50. rain in ohio right now. we are watching what is coming together, an area of low pressure forming in oklahoma -- actually, it formed in texas and is seeking through oklahoma and will continue tracking our way. a series of low pressure systems and a cold front that will continually pushed east from the midsection of the country into the mid-atlantic and into our backyard on sunday. this will be a slow-moving

front. the rain will hang around on sunday as a result and we could have a coastal storm developed as well. that could give us intense rainfall. areas of rain by sunday, some heavy at times. 1 inch or two inches by the time it's over late on sunday. saturday should be ok, partial sunshine, near 60 degrees. >> once we get the warm weather, everything will be good. >> we already see daffodils in some areas. 7 is on your side with a new national survey that finds fewer teenagers are having sex. the survey found more than a quarter of young men and women between the ages of 15 and 24 have never had sex. that is up 6% from 2000 to appear the number doubled or high-school students. sex education and parental influence played the biggest role in abstinence. they also believe this generation is more focused on its future. some students at george

washington university what the tiger blood and fire breathing show to come to town. a group of students from the class of 2012 have started charlie sheen for commencement speaker campaigns on facebook and twitter. that's right. the facebook account has more than $1,000 at last check. coming up, -- >> what is that? >> she survived a shocking massacre. her father is deadly rampage, now the story of a young woman tainting her life and singing before millions. >> today on "oprah," they take on the great outdoors in an unforgettable camping adventure, 4:00 on abc 7.

she was just three years old when her father and went on a killing spree, murdering her entire family. 20 years later, she is a young woman who has gone further than anyone thought possible. hris.o c i cannot believe she survived after her entire family was murdered by her own father. >> ordinarily the answer is that she would not. that is what makes this special. she impressed the doctors and now is impressing the judges on american idol. you can make your life what you want it to be against the odds.

>> actually remembers that day. >> she does. we often believe the memories don't start solidifying until age seven or eight. something as dramatic as this can make an imprint even at a young age. remembers what she loved about her family. >> despite all this, she goes on and gets on with her life and makes an appearance on "american idol." >> she made it to the second round. the competition is stiff. this kid was never supposed to speak, let alone sing. i think she was robbed. >> i agree, absolutely. tonight we will see before and after hearing it is an inspiring story, to say the least. >> it is. this is what we tried to do best. we don't just tell you a story once, we stay on things because you want to know what happens. this is one of those beautiful examples tonight where the follow-up is good news. >> we cannot wait to see that

tonight on "20/20." >> we cannot wait to see that tonight on "20/20." and stay with us for

[music playing] america's beverage companies are working together to put more information right up front... adding new calorie labels to every single can, bottle, and pack they produce...

so you can make the choice that's right for you. get ready for blastoff. like you have never seen it before. nasa has released a series of videos that capture the shuttle discovery's final trip into space from the outside. this was from last week.

six different cameras attached to the two rocket boosters at liftoff. incredible. one captures the launch and another records shots of the rapid moves. as one plunges you under water. and in the booster as a crash landing into the ocean. isn't that amazing? >> that is really cool. >> they are still up there at the international space station. it is amazing what you can see. >> it shows you the different steps of how it breaks apart. >> do they retrieve that? >> i believe they do. otherwise that would be fun for someone to find. i could be wrong about that. i think i remember the teacher telling me that. 1 inch to two inches of rain on sunday. a big storm could hit us thursday or friday with widespread rain showers.

>> no more snow. thank you for joining us this midday. we will see you for good morning washington at 5:00 a.m. we will see you for good morning washington at 5:00 a.m.